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AZ: Voters could have say on reforms for controversial ESA program
ABC15 Several education groups and advocates have come together through a coalition and filed a petition to put reforms on the state’s controversial Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program, or ESA. ESA advocates say these reforms are unnecessary, feeling like the...
CA: How the governor’s budget proposal addresses rising numbers of students in special education
EdSource Student enrollment has been declining in the McFarland Unified School District, so Superintendent Aaron Resendez was surprised to start this school year with an uptick in students who require special education services. The 3,282-student district in rural...
FL: Cameras in special education classrooms move ahead
News From The States Special education rooms could feature cameras watching over students if Florida lawmakers keep up support for a bipartisan bill. The legislation seeks to provide an objective eye in situations in which students, particularly those who are...
GA: Georgia seeing a surge in special education complaints
Atlanta News First A growing number of Georgia parents allege their school districts are violating the law by failing to provide required special education services, according to an Atlanta News First investigation. Georgia Department of...
ID: As Legislature mulls Medicaid cuts, parents and providers face uncertainty
Idaho News Parents of children with disabilities are concerned and wondering what will happen to their kids as the Legislature mulls Gov. Brad Little’s recommendation to cut $22 million in Medicaid spending. Angela Lindig, executive director of the nonprofit Idaho...
LA: St. Tammany illegally shortened school days for student with disabilities, lawsuit claims
Verite News New Orleans The family of a special needs student in St. Tammany Parish has filed a federal lawsuit against the parish school board and the school district’s superintendent, Frank Jabbia, saying that the district inappropriately shortened the child’s...
NM: Bill refining allowable restraint and seclusion practices in schools advances out of House committee
Yahoo News Members of the House Education Committee on Monday advanced a bill that would refine definitions of allowable physical discipline practices in public schools, limit those practices, and require expanded training for K-12 school personnel. House Bill 120,...
SC: S.C. legislation proposes cameras in special education classrooms
wrdr State legislative leaders are considering a bill that would mandate cameras in special education classrooms in public schools. The proposed legislation comes after incidents involving vulnerable students, including a case where 9-year-old Kadence, who has autism,...
TN: TN kids with disabilities face a complicated justice system
The Tennessean Savannah Coffman spent the chaotic hours after her son's arrest trying desperately to get to him. That morning, her then-15-year-old son, who has autism, posted on his private Snapchat account about a rumored widespread threat against schools. "Stay...
TX: Extra voucher funds for students with disabilities requires public school psychologist assessment
KSAT Time is running out to gather the necessary documentation for students with disabilities to receive the extra benefits entitled through the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program. Families of students with disabilities could receive up to an additional $30,000,...